About
The character "占" derives from early divinatory practices, structurally combining the element "卜", representing the cracks used in prognostication, with "口", indicating the verbal declaration of the interpreted outcome, thus originally meaning to divine or forecast. Over time, its semantic range expanded beyond ritual interpretation to encompass the act of occupying or seizing possession, a conceptual shift that may stem from the authority vested in such ceremonial pronouncements when claiming spaces or items. This evolution further extended into abstract domains, where "占" came to denote constituting or accounting for a proportion within a broader context. Throughout these changes in application and meaning, the graphical form of the character has remained consistently composed of its two constituent parts.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他占了一个座位。
这本书占有重要地位。
敌人占据了城市。
他喜欢占卜未来。
不要占别人便宜。
这块土地占了大片面积。
他的意见占据了讨论的主导地位。
这项技术占据了市场的大部分份额。